We are taking my nearly 70 year old mother-in-law on her first trip to England next May. Our trip will wrap up with two days in London. Her only London touring request is to take a stroll in Hyde Park and to see the Mousetrap play. She has no physical impediments but does tire easily. Our plan is to take a Big Bus tour and perhaps a river cruise, a night at the theater and tea somewhere nice.

We have been to London several times and my question is this, what would be the best area to stay given her somewhat limited mobility? We have always stayed places where walking was required to catch the Tube which is not possible for this trip as she does not do well with steps. We know the bus and taxi will be our mode of local transport.

Our budget is 200 pounds or less per night for three people, meaning a triple or preferably a single and double. We don't mind shared facilities. She is not fussy about where to stay provided it is safe and clean.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

May I suggest you persuade your mum to see Hyde Park from the top of a Big Bus tour, and surprise her with a taxi ride to the main entrance of Queen Mary's Rose Garden. The magnificent black and gold wrought-iron gates will initiate you into a garden paradise!
In May the roses are just coming into bloom(June is full-on). Thousands of roses in every colour of the rainbow are on view. There is a lovely tearoom surving delicious lunches as well.
They will phone a taxi for your return journey.
The underground stops Baker Street and Regents Park seem close on a map but the road is up hill to the gardens.
No good for old legs as I discovered with my 79 yr mum!

Ooops! Sorry I meant to tell you Queen Mary's Rose Garden is in REGENTS PARK.

Speaking as a woman in that age group (sad to say) Take a tour bus first..... the subways can be tiring going up and down the escalators. You might like to take a river cruise down the Thames to Greenwich and go on the London Eye (on a good day and they are next to each other)..For a real treat.. on Saturday get to Portabelo..Perhaps you might encourage her to use a cane as Parrot Pop does. Pick either Westminister Abbey or St. Pauls (places to sit). BTW some of the theatres have packages that include dinner.. oh yes..Covent Gardens.. lots of places to sit outside and watch the entertainment.

I'd look for a flat - many rent by the week but there are lots that rent by the night. For £200 or less you could get a very nice two bedroom or a 1 bedroom w/ a sofa bed in the loving room.

You could stay in any of the central areas - since you will be taking cabs and buses. Knightsbridge, Russell Square, South Kens - just about anywhere.

I'm sorry - but to suggest Portobello Rd for someone with mobility problems who tires easily just must not have read your post. It is pretty strenuous for a 30 year old w/ no mobility problems. The crowds are MASSIVE.

And Greenwich would be a problem too -- the cruise there is fine, but to see Greenwich requires a LOT of walking and hills.

If she, like me, does not do well with steps, probably won't be able to go up to the top of the Big Bus Tour. The steps are very high and narrow, I couldn't do it. And they don't have panoramic windows and for the most part, are covered with ads so it's not the best of experiences if you are not able to go to the top.
I didn't dare to go to Portobello, really...
Covent Garden is great. It's a walking zone but it's full of places where you can sit to rest.
Normal buses are absolutely fine. The driver even waited for me till I sit down and they can low down the floor for you to go up as well.

There isn't an obvious single place to stay. Sadly, there's no one tube line that's noticeably friendly to people who can't get about easily, for example. But you might find some help on hotels at www.allgohere.com.

It'll help if you familiarise yourself with the features of the tfl.gov.uk website. Go to "advanced features" on the journey planners, and you'll see if you scroll down that you can specify a lot about walking times etc. Input the postcode of a proposed hotel, and the journey planner will show you the detailed pedestrian route from the hotel to a bus stop or tube station.

You'll get some futher help from following the links at www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/ph_mobility.shtml

Given the sheer scale of London, you might consider hiring a wheelchair, if only to have handy just in case. Do check the services offered by the airport you're using (both Heathrow and Gatwick have porters), remember that all our intercontinental airports involve HUGE walks and it really is wiser to get the airline to have a wheelchair waiting at the the gate, and the railway operating companies (if you're coming in on the Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted Expresses, or travelling anywhere else in Britain) offer help at the stations and special seats for people who need help (and their companions). Oddly the disability help on the railway system seems to be one of the few bits of the train service you can always rely on.

Absolutely right Kenderina - what was I thinking when I suggested the top deck! Those winding little steps are a nightmare for anyone!
I am really interested in the "loving" room janis - sounds great! Just teasing.

Thanks to everyone for your responses.

tod - I have never made it to Queen Mary's Garden in Regent's Park even though it was always on the list of "things to do." Great idea, I'm incorporating it into my itinerary. Is the tea room in the park itself?

ParrotMom - did you find the stairs to the top of the tour bus a problem? Mother-in-law doesn't not have bone problems that require the use of a cane but does suffer from a shortness of breath sometimes. She's probably much more physically capable than I give her credit.

janis - thanks for the flat idea, I had considered that but we will be staying only the Thursday and Friday just prior to the late May Bank holiday and I wasn't sure anyone would be willing to rent for two nights at that time. And seeing as how we would let her have the bedroom, the sofabed could very well wind up being in the loving room. haha. Your typo made me laugh. And yes, Portobello Road would overwhelm her, she's just not that much of a shopper.

kenderina - was the bus tour still enjoyable from the lower level?

Flanneruk - having walked the marathon march through Heathrow several times one would think that should have come to mind first but I never even gave it a thought. Having a wheelchair at the ready on arrival is a wonderful piece of advice. Thank you.

Loving Room -- now where did that come from

Anyway - the flats that rent by the night will be no problem around the Bank Holiday. That is a time many Brits either go to the country or leave the country altogether. a country B&B will more likely be full than a London flat or hotel. You might check into some of the apartment hotels -- Dolphin Square or the Citadines for example. They have the services of a hotel (concierege, front desk, etc) with the space and comfort of an apartment. They do tend to run a bit more than one-off flats but still should be w/i your budget.

As for the hop-on-hop-off tour buses. No they are not very friendly to physically challenged folks. And you really can't see much from downstairs - if the weather is cold/cool the windows fog up and if it is warm, it is hot and muggy downstairs.

Personally - I think a tour by cab would be great. Most London cabbies know as much or more about the sites than many tour bus guides. More than once on my last night in London - especially if traveling w/ someone who hadn't been there before - we have just hailed a cab and asked him to take us around to see the illuminated sites and the river. Each time I've learned something new. And some cabbies actually do side business taking folks on tours.

Hello, Mrs_Wilde,

If you click on my name, you can find my report from the July trip that I made with Mom (76 at the time of trip) and two friends.

Mom has LOTS of trouble with her hips and knees (actually, she needs knee replacements; and she has arthritis).

We had no trouble in London, but we did take taxis everywhere. Mom's mobility was a little limited (she walks slowly and she doesn't do great distances and she tires easily), but she occasionally opted to sit on a bench and wait for us (while we raced through the British Museum with our Original London Walks guide, for instance). She didn't mind this at all.

She was able to navigate the "upstairs" of the buses without too much trouble (since she didn't really "hop on and hop off" - just took the tour then got off the second time around at the most likely place to see what she wanted to see - this was actually in Bath, but the principle is the same). We rode a number of buses on the trip, usually on the upper deck, and she was OK with that (yes, a little slow, but who cares?).

As others have said, it doesn't make a heck of a lot of difference where you stay, as long as it's fairly central (so you/she can head back for a nap or to pick up/drop off items).

We stayed in a apartment near the Oxo Tower and it was fine for getting back and forth.

Have fun!

Gayle

I just realized that I said we took all taxis...I meant to say that we used all taxis and buses (not the Underground, in other words).

Gayle

London Eye is not in Greenwich(?) but I agree would be a great activity as you get to see London in a whole new way. There are seats in the pod so as long as you are not too crowded, which is not likely in May, she will be able to sit down and admire the view.

I also second Covent Garden. Loads of places to sit and rest and plenty going on to keep you entertained for a few hours.

Boat trip would be perfect. You can do a round trip and don't get out at Greenwich as it's very hilly! You could go on an evening boat trip/dinner as well to see the whole city illuminated from the water. Very pretty.

You could also use
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/tourist_map.shtml
to help you pick an area with good bus links to the things you plan to visit.

I was going to suggest exactly what another poster already did: " just took the tour then got off the second time around at the most likely place to see what she wanted to see - "

Perhaps the first day if it is nice weather, why doesn't you mom do a 'hop on, hop off' tour <i>without</i> hopping off at all. She can get a good overview (I'm a fan of the big picture, always) and then decide which things she most wants to see. Plan subsequent trips by cab.

I will say that the London hotels we've stayed in--admittedly only four, and large ones---do not seem to be particularly handicapped accessible or friendly. Obviously, your mom is not handicapped, but if a hotel is officially accessible you can be sure it has an elevator, at least.

If you will take a bit of time to learn bidding strategy at www.biddingfortravel.com you will see that some hotels can be got in your price range, even for two rooms. The Holiday Inn Kensington Forum is modern and has a restaurant and room service, and is a scant half-block from the Gloucester tube station (for the rest of you). It is well-located for several places your mom might enjoy, too, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Air and Space Museum, and the Museum of Natural History, Kensington Palace, and it's not far from Buckingham Palace. No place is ideal--there will be transportation issue anywhere. Of course, the HIKF lacks the charm of an Edwardian B&amp;B, but the latter may not have a lift that always works and it is difficult to get a non-smoking room in such places. (We gave up last year trying to secure a true non-smoking room in a b&amp;b that had been highly recommended, as it was &quot;sandwiched&quot; on either side with smoking rooms! )

Finally, you have lots of time to plan, so why not do some research into the things your MIL really likes to do and see. Perhaps some sites that she remembers as icons from the 1950's or 60's would be fun for her to see. It may be that what would be best, since her only &quot;handicap&quot; is a tendency to tire easily, is to present a very wonderful, but edited, itinerary.

Mrs Wilde -Yes, the Tearoom is in the area next to the little pond (well not so little), and also near an exit in what is called Inner Circle Rd.
Ask the cab driver to drive you down Broad Walk afterwards as you leave. The gardens are just magnificent. All the plants pursposefully laid out in certain patterns. It may be for pedestrians only but ask anyway (I saw a police car drive down to move a vagrant lying on one of the lawns, but then the police are allowed anywhere!)